


The 4 Times May Was There For Peter's Birthday, and the One Time She Wasn't

by bukkunkun



Category: Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies), Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Aunt May Deserves Better, Birthday Fluff, Birthday Presents, F/M, Family Feels, Fluff and Angst, Found Family, Gen, Grief/Mourning, Headcanon, Parenthood, Post-Spider-Man: Far From Home, Time Skips, Warm and Fuzzy Feelings, also technically it's beckpeter or whatever it's called if you squint, as always, ignore the second chapter if you want to stay happy, sorta - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-12
Updated: 2019-08-12
Packaged: 2020-08-19 20:22:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 11,749
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20215726
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bukkunkun/pseuds/bukkunkun
Summary: May has watched Peter grow into a wonderful young man throughout the years. She would always be there for him whenever he needed her, she would always love him first before anyone else.She promised.





	1. The 4 Times May Was There For Peter's Birthday, and the One Time She Wasn't

**Author's Note:**

> > hear me out  
  
petey getting doxxed forces him to go underground and frank castle helps him hide from the rest of the world
>> 
>> — 🔮 bukkun, MSc 🕷 (@trickscd) [July 16, 2019](https://twitter.com/trickscd/status/1151164613855084544?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)
> 
> put frank castle in the mcu you fucking cowards
> 
> anyway **HAPPY BIRTHDAY PETER PARKER!!!!!** BABY I LOVE YOU SO MUCH WAAAHHHHHHH thank you for the joy you've brought me wahh 
> 
> anyway i love jon bernthal's punisher i hope he and tom holland can reunite someday in the mcu that would be magnificent...

# 1.

“I don’t think I’ve ever done this alone before.” Ben said, as he and May sat together hand in hand in the waiting room of the hospital, and she blinked at him owlishly in the dimly blinking light of the fluorescent lamp above his head. 

“Alone?” She asked, and the man laughed, shrugging as he thumbed at the back of her hand. 

“Yeah, well… it’s always been my brother and I.” He said, “The last time I buried someone, we didn’t have anyone but each other.” He sighed, and leaned back against the wall of the waiting room, running his hand through his hair. “Now… even Mary’s in trouble, and who knows about what happened to Peter.”

“I’m sure he’ll be fine.” May said, and Ben ran his hand over his face. 

“I sure hope he is.” He said quietly. She rubbed his back sympathetically, and sighed. 

“Isn’t it his birthday tomorrow?” May asked, and Ben looked at his watch. 

“Today. He’s turning 5. Oh, _ god._” He winced, and turned to look at his girlfriend with a longing look on his face. “I… I’m really sorry, May. We had something planned out, and now _ this— _”

“Listen.” May said firmly, squeezing his hand. “I’m not some heartless airhead who’s gonna get angry for having a date cancelled because your freakin’ _ brother _ got into an accident.” She shook her head, her bun coming slightly loose as Ben looked at her with wet eyes, his lip worried between his teeth. She gave him a crooked little smile, and shrugged. “I’d like to think I’m a good girlfriend, at least.”

“Yeah, sounds about right.” Ben laughed, and leaned forward to kiss her cheek. May smiled at him as she cupped his face in her hand, and he held her hand against his cheek with an unsure squeeze of his own around it. “God, I wouldn’t know what I’d do without you, May.”

“Burn your kitchen making dumplings.” She said smugly, and Ben laughed for the first time in hours. May gave him a wide grin as he leaned on her side, and he lifted her hand to kiss it. 

“I love you so much.” He murmured, and she snuggled up against him. 

“I know.” 

Suddenly the doors opened, and the two of them looked up to see the trauma nurse approaching them, the exhaustion on her face visible in the lines around her eyes. Ben quickly got up onto his feet, and May was content on watching on the sidelines, her heart sinking to her gut when the nurse’s expression betrayed everything she couldn’t hear. 

Ben turned to look at her, and she cocked her head at him. 

“Richie and Mary are gone.” He said shakily, and May’s eyes widened at him as he made his way back to the bench to sit next to her. He buried his face in his hands, and she rubbed his back comfortingly. 

“What about Peter?”

“He’s okay.” He said, and May felt a wave of relief wash over her, as the nurse came back to them, leading a sniffling but sleepy-looking little 5-year-old by the hand to them. “And now, I have a kid.” 

“Oh.” May breathed, and turned to look at little Peter, who crawled into Ben’s arms when the nurse helped him, and she gave the two of them a supportive, if apologetic little smile. Little Peter was still crying, and there was a bandage around his forehead, but he otherwise looked unscathed. Maybe Mary and Richard’s last gift to him was his life, and it made something ache in her chest when Peter looked up at her with big teary brown eyes. 

“Hi Auntie May.” He said weakly, and Ben laughed, flushing in embarrassment as May looked at him with wide eyes. 

“S-sorry! Oh my _ god _ I don’t know where he learned that, I—” Ben stammered, and May smiled slowly at him as Peter looked right about ready to cry again. “Jeez, Peter, we-we’re not married, it doesn’t work that wa—”

“Marry me.” She said, and Ben stopped, his jaw falling slack as Peter looked back up at her again, eyes wide with wonder. May giggled nervously, and shrugged. “It’s been a long time coming, I figured now would be just as good as later, right?” She tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear, and tried not to blush. “So marry me, Ben. Peter deserves a big family who loves him, and you deserve a partner through this whole thing. Who is me.”

“I…” Ben laughed incredulously, running his hand through his hair. 

“Please, Uncle Ben?” Peter asked, looking up at his uncle pleadingly. “Please, I love Auntie May!” 

She laughed fondly, shrugging helplessly as she spread her arms for Peter. The boy nodded, wiggling out of Ben’s arms as he hurried into her embrace, and she hugged him tightly, breathing in the scent of his hair mixing with the sterile, painful smell of hospital disinfectant. 

“I love you too, Peter.” She said, kissing his hair, and looked at Ben. “And I love your Uncle Ben, too.”

“_May._” Ben breathed shakily, and he pulled her close for a kiss. “Yes, oh, my _ god. _ Yes.”

They pulled apart to the sound of Peter making a show of gagging, and May laughed, kissing his nose to turn his gags into giggles. 

“Happy birthday, Peter.” She said, and he smiled up at her, his little hand balling into a fist in a lock of her hair that had slid down from her shoulders. “I hope you’ll be happy with us for the rest of your life.”

# 2.

May ran her hands through her hair. Oh, this was a mess. Oh, _ fuck _ this was a mess.

Ben was still out, and not a single child had showed up. Afternoon was rolling into evening, way past the time any decent parent would want their little 7-year-olds out, and May was beginning to panic when the casserole she put in the oven had burned. 

(How was she supposed to know Ben was fooling around the wiring again? This was a _ disaster.) _

Peter was sitting alone at the table, streamers and banners above his head making the sight all the more lonely than it already was, and May felt the urge to cry whenever she looked his way, looked at the way the little boy looked down at his shoes—brand new, she and Ben had scraped together a good amount of saved up money to get him a cute little pair of Iron Man kicks for his birthday. Peter had been so happy when he got the box, would never shut up about it at home or at school, and May was almost certain that he would get friends that way.

Now, she looked at them with nothing short of distaste, realising that was probably a mistake, and that it was likely that no one showed up _ because _of them. 

Peter knew that, probably. Peter was such a smart boy, probably too smart for his grade. May knew she had to start looking into advancement programs—maybe a STEM-focused school in the long run, and _ fuck _ if she wished that she’d picked up a book on taking care of genius kids. Did they even write those?

“Auntie May, the casserole’s burning again.” Peter said gingerly, and May jumped, realising that there was the scent of burning vegetables in the air again, and she whirled around to yank the container out of the oven, cursing under her breath as she dropped the offending thing on the counter with a loud sigh. May frowned down at the burnt crisp on the table, and looked at Peter, who was looking at her with pensive eyes.

No 7-year-old should be wearing those eyes, but she supposed that not many 7-year-olds survived car crashes that killed their parents. She sighed, shaking her head as she made her way over to him to pull him into a hug. 

“How’re you doing, Peter?” She asked softly. 

“They’re late.” The boy said, and it broke her heart to hear it spoken so quietly, like Peter wasn’t so sure himself. He didn’t deserve this. She didn’t know what to say—she _ knew _ no one was coming, it was ridiculously late, and it was her fault. May wanted to tell him she was sorry, but the words caught in her throat when he hugged her a little tighter, and she could feel a little wetness soaking through her tank top. “I-I’m sure… they’re just late. Someone’s gonna come to my birthday party. I know it.”

“Oh, Peter…” May wanted to cry. Oh, she wanted so badly to cry. Peter didn’t deserve this, she and Ben worked hard on this intimate little birthday party.

God, if Mary and Richard were still here, maybe things would have been different. Ben and May were happy, for sure, but they were a mess. A perfectly organised mess, who watched cheesy movies into the deep of the night sharing a bottle of wine and popcorn, who burned their food and snuck out behind each other’s backs to surprise the other. They were good for each other, she knew, but Lord if she knew they were good for Peter. 

They were trying their best, for sure. Peter deserved only that—the best, and nothing less, but May wasn’t ever sure if what they did was enough. If what she and Ben did would be good for Peter in the long run, and now, she wasn’t sure if she was doing anywhere _ near _a decent job at taking care of her nephew. 

If Mary and Richard were still here, she was sure Peter would have a million friends. Peter would have a bursting birthday party with hundreds of presents and a load of people singing him happy birthday while he blew out a candle on top of Mary’s ridiculously beautiful, ridiculously delicious homemade cakes. 

May clung onto Peter, feeling tears prickle her eyes, and wondered if Peter missed his parents as much as she did. The boy held onto her, too, and for a moment, they stayed like that, simply mourning quietly, when the doorbell suddenly rang.

May blinked moisture out of her eyes. That must be Ben.

“I’ll—I’ll go get it.” She volunteered, not wanting to let Peter get disappointed the moment he saw his uncle at the doorway, and she pulled away from Peter to head to the door. She wiped at her eyes with the back of her hand and took a deep breath, steadying herself before she opened the door.

“Oh, hello!” A portly little woman with dark skin smiled up at her, holding a large box up in her hands. May blinked at the unfamiliar woman, and then at the chubby little boy next to her. “I’m Tessa Leeds.” She offered May her hand for her to shake, and May simply _ melted, _ sniffling as she pulled Tessa into a warm hug. The woman jumped, but when she peered into the apartment, her expression softened, and hugged May back one-armed.

“Hi. May.” May said shakily, pulling away to press a hand to her heart, and Tessa smiled at her kindly. “I… _ hi._” She sighed, trying not to cry.

“Hi, May.” Tessa nodded. “Sorry we’re really late, I know that doesn’t do wonders for what we call Filipino Time but traffic in Manhattan was awful and we still had to pick up this cake for you, too.” She bundled the box into May’s arms, laughing kindly at May’s bewildered face as she let herself in after she ushered May back into her apartment. The little boy tottered at his mother’s heels, and May realised he was carrying a rather large box. Tessa jumped, and gestured at the boy. “Oh, and this is my son, Ned! He’s Peter’s classmate. Where is that sweet boy, by the way?”

“Auntie May?” Peter asked from the dining room, and she whirled around, feeling her eyes tear up again when she saw the sheer _ hope _ surge in Peter’s expression as the boy jumped off his seat. “Who’s there?” 

“It’s your friend,” She said shakily, feeling Tessa wrap her arm around her reassuringly, the older woman rubbing it comfortingly as Peter hurried into the living room, his eyes widening at the sight of Ned. “It’s Ned!”

“Peter!” Ned beamed, making a beeline for Peter, and the two boys immediately launched into conversation, Ned setting his box down on the coffee table before Peter took his hand to lead him to the dining room. May let out a little sob of relief as she looked at Tessa, who smiled up at her apologetically. 

“I’m sorry I never got to tell you about it,” She said, “Ned’s told me that Peter’s been having a hard time making friends.” 

“What?” May breathed, “He… he never told me this.”

“Yeah, Ned said that too.” Tessa gently led May to the kitchen, and she chuckled fondly at the burned casserole. “_Hay, _okay. Let’s see what we can do about this, okay?” 

May laughed weakly, rubbing at her eyes as she nodded, and Tessa chuckled fondly, patting her shoulder. “Let’s cook up something easy but good. My baby, he eats so much! Your baby eats so little, we should feed him a lot tonight!”

“Y-yeah.” May nodded, following after Tessa as she quickly made herself busy in the kitchen. It was easy to settle into a routine—cooking creamy, cheesy spaghetti alongside Tessa’s patient, efficient guidance, and May found herself smiling again as she could hear the boys outside chatter on cheerfully. 

“My husband and I got Peter a new Lego set. Ned said he likes them a lot.” Tessa explained as May stirred the pasta in a separate pot while the other woman worked on the sauce, watching it simmer. “Oh, _ anak, _ you make sure that has salt in it.”

“Already done that,” May replied, and elbowed Tessa lightly. “And we’re not _ that _far apart in age.”

“I certainly _ feel _ old after that traffic!” Tessa huffed, but she was smiling. “Sorry, a force of habit. Anyway, could you reach the cream?”

May handed her a Tetra-Pak of all-purpose cream, and watched in wonder as Tessa added it to the tomato sauce in the pot. “You know, back at home, we always have spaghetti for birthdays. It’s said that noodles bring long life.”

“Long life.” May murmured, and peered out at Peter, who was giggling brightly at something Ned said, while the other boy lumbered around, waving a couch pillow menacingly in the air. “Yeah, I’d like for him to have that.”

Tessa watched the boys play, and smiled. 

“May they live their lives together in happiness.” She nodded, and the two women fell into a comfortable silence, working together to finish up their dinner.

Ben showed up not too long after that, and the five of them settled around the dining table to sing Peter Happy Birthday, the boy staring wide-eyed at the Iron Man themed cake Tessa brought them. They dug into the spaghetti, and Peter found a new favourite food, high-fiving Ned in agreement when the boy said his mom’s recipe was the best, and Tessa shot May a wink, promising to email her the recipe when she and Ned headed home. After dinner, Peter opened his present—a huge box of a Harry Potter Lego set, and his eyes had stars in them as he and Ned made a move to start working on it—

“Ah, ah, ah!” Tessa tutted, “No, _ anak, _ it’s late _ na! _ We have to go home!”

“Aw, but Mom!” Ned whined, but Peter shook his head, squeezing Ned’s hand reassuringly as he turned to look at Tessa. 

“Mrs. Leeds, can Ned come over again tomorrow? We can work on the Lego set together here at home tomorrow after school, if that’s okay.” He said, blinking up at her with big brown pleading eyes, and May stifled a snicker behind her hand when she realised he was giving her puppy-eyes, the same eyes that Ben was always weak for. 

“Oh, of course, _ anak._” Tessa cooed, pecking Peter’s forehead, earning him a little giggle from the boy. “Ned, you can come over tomorrow. Let’s go home.”

“Aw, okay.” Ned mumbled, and looked back at Peter. “See you tomorrow, Peter.” He said, and Peter nodded, pulling him into a hug. Ned smiled and hugged him back, and soon Ned and his mother were out the door, leaving Ben to usher Peter into the bathroom to clean himself up for bedtime while May got to work on the dishes. Ben went back to his wife after Peter was done washing up, dressing himself in his room, and the man gave her a smile as he pressed a kiss to her cheek.

“May, you’re a godsend.” He murmured, and she laughed, shaking her head as she dried her hands on a towel. 

“No, Tessa is.” She said, and Ben shrugged. 

“Yeah, I can tell. But Peter hasn’t shut up about how great you were today.” He said, and May blinked at him as he held her close, kissing her shoulder. “Love you.”

“I know.” She smiled back at him, turning around in his arms to kiss him. 

“You get to tuck Peter into bed today, it’s only right.” Ben chuckled, “I’ll get to warming the bed for you, madam.”

May laughed at that, smacking at his arm, but he blew her a raspberry, hurrying away to their room. She shook her head, rolling her eyes, but made her way to Peter’s room, knocking on the door gently to let him know she was coming in. She opened the door to find Peter sitting on his bed, admiring the Lego set he got from Ned.

“Hey.” She said, and he turned to look at her, eyes sparkling. 

“Hey.” He greeted, and set the box down by the foot of his bed, before getting under the covers, looking up at May expectantly as she laughed softly. Gently she tucked him in, and he smiled up at her as she stroked his hair. “Auntie May?” He asked, and she hummed, nodding. “Thank you for today.”

“Oh, sweetie, I…”

“Thank you for waiting with me.” Peter clarified, and May blinked at him. “Thanks… for being there for me.” He blushed slightly, and hid slightly under the sheets. She couldn’t help but smile at the sight, and he giggled nervously. “Um… love you, Auntie May.”

“I love you too, Peter.” She murmured, and kissed his forehead. “I love you so much. Happy birthday.”

“Thanks.” Peter smiled, and May turned the bedside lamp off, getting up to go. “Auntie May?”

“Yeah?” She asked, turning to look at him over her shoulder. 

“You’re doing just fine.” He said, and she felt her heart swell three sizes in her chest. “I… I’m happy, I promise.”

May choked back a sob, pressing a hand to her heart.

“Thanks, Peter.” She said shakily, and he gave her a little wave. She stepped outside, shutting the door behind her, and she pressed her back to it, letting out a shaky sigh as she buried her face in her hands, finally letting herself cry.

She was doing alright. Peter was happy. They were going to be okay.

# 3.

It was the first year Peter celebrated his birthday without Ben, and May didn’t know what to expect. She felt like the eyebags under her eyes had some fancy designer brand on them, and that she hadn’t had a decent night’s sleep since Ben died. She could only imagine how much worse Peter had it—what with school _ and _going through puberty. She knew he was having a hard time getting used to his growing body—the embarrassingly loud crashes in the bathroom in the morning, accidentally breaking things, the stuttery nerves—oh, she’d been through that all.

But at least, back then, she had her family. All of them, who loved her dearly. 

Now, all Peter had was his Aunt May, and May didn’t know if the both of them could make it through all that without losing a bit of themselves along the way. 

Ned came over, as was his wont since they were 7, along with Tessa as well, who held May through her unstable sobbing in the kitchen as she thought about Ben again, while she knew Ned was doing the same for Peter just across the divider between the kitchen and the living room. 

She didn’t know what to do. She was hurting just as much as Peter was. 

“May, darling,” Tessa said softly, “You have to talk to Peter about this.”

“I know.” She said shakily, balling her hand in Tessa’s cardigan. “I just… I don’t know if I can handle it.”

“You won’t be able to.” Tessa nodded, and May buried her face in the woman’s shoulder. 

“_Then how can I face him?_” She shuddered. “Tessa, I’m his parent, I’m supposed to be the one who he can cry on.”

Tessa held her close, rubbing her back comfortingly. 

“That’s true, May, but you can also be his buddy.” She said. “And sometimes, that’s even better.” 

May paused. “Buddy?”

“Buddy, like partner. You both respect each other, but it’s not exactly the strict way those conservatives want it to be, you know?” She pulled away from May, cupping her face in her hands as May laughed breathlessly. “It doesn’t have to be one-sided all the time.” Tessa wiped away May’s tears, and smiled. “He can rely on you, but it’s not wrong to rely on him every now and then, too. You’re family.”

May looked up at Tessa, and the woman gently nodded her head at Peter. “Ned and I have to go soon. Will you be okay?”

“Yeah.” May nodded, sniffling, and Tessa gently led her back to work together in the kitchen.

Later, when Ned and his mother left, May was left standing next to Peter, who held his and Ned’s game controllers in his hands gingerly as the door shut behind Tessa. The both of them let out twin sighs, and they jolted, turning to look at each other, before Peter dissolved into light laughter. A little smile tugged at May’s lips, too, and she settled down on the couch next to Peter, elbowing him slightly. 

“Hey there, big guy.” She said. “Look at you, the big one-four.”

Peter snorted, half-heartedly elbowing her back but she ended up wrapping her arm around the back of his shoulders, holding him close. They stayed quiet like that for a long while, listening to the rain outside, before Peter spoke again, pulling away from May to set the controllers down on the coffee table. 

“I’m gonna miss him.” He said quietly, and May nodded sympathetically, pulling him back to hold him close again, and this time he curled into her touch, burying his face into the crook of her neck as she gently moved him to sit across her lap to let him wrap his arms around the back of her neck. She heard him sniffle slightly, and felt her own eyes prickle with emotion. 

“Me too.” She agreed, rubbing his back comfortingly as she buried her face into Peter’s unruly curls, and they simply held each other as the tears began to flow.

Neither of them said anything for a long time, crying against each other as the time ticked by, and May had never felt so relieved, finally letting out the stress that had built in her while Peter did the same. The sensation of him in her arms was enough to chase the demons away, holding him close made her feel that she wasn’t alone anymore, and she wondered who this day truly was for.

May, the grieving widow, or Peter, the fresh 14-year-old.

“Hey, May?” Peter asked, pulling away from her. “Remember how I said… I had something to tell the two of you a while back?”

“Yeah?” She nodded, wiping at her eyes. 

“I… I got into Midtown Science.” He said, and May’s eyes widened. “Ned and I both got in, actually. I wanted to make it a surprise for you and Ben, but…” He bit his lip, looking away from her as he tried his best not to cry again. May sighed, shaking her head before she kissed his forehead, hugging him close.

“Oh, Peter. I’m so proud of you.” She said shakily, pulling away from him to cup his face in her hands, and he looked up at her hopefully. “That’s—that’s amazing.”

“I just—I didn’t want you guys to feel the need to get me anything,” Peter stammered, “I know it’s hard making ends meet, and—and—I—I got a scholarship and everything, so you guys didn’t have to worry.” He looked down at his little hands balled into fists.

May’s throat clenched up. God, she should’ve known. Ever since Peter was little, he’d always been so self-reliant, always taking care of things on his own so she and Ben wouldn’t have to worry about him. Maybe he felt responsible for what happened to his parents that night they died, maybe he blamed himself for being sickly—god, she didn’t _ know. _

“Peter, I’m not a mind reader.” She said hoarsely. “You have to tell me what’s going on.”

“My nebulisers cost a fortune, and now Ben’s gone. It’s… I _ know _ it’s been hard.” Peter confessed. “I just… I didn’t want to add to more problems.” 

May felt her heart break and come whole again, thumbing away at Peter’s tears as they rolled down his rosy cheeks. 

“Peter, you’ll never be a problem.” She murmured. “I’ve said right at the beginning, baby. All I want is for you to be happy with me as long as we’re together.” She kissed his forehead, and pulled back to stroke his hair. “I promise I’ll take care of you, Peter. As long as I can, but you have to help me too, okay? You have to be honest with me.” 

“Y-yeah.” Peter nodded, tearing up again. “Th-thanks, May. For everything.”

May smiled at him. “I love you, Peter. Sorry this year wasn’t much, but happy birthday.”

“As long as you’re here, it’s enough.” He said weakly, and hugged her tightly. “Thanks. Love you too.”

It’ll be hard without Ben, but May knew if she and Peter worked together, things would work out. 

They wouldn’t go down without a fight, after all. They could get through this—Parkers are made with iron, and Peter would be the strongest Parker of them all.

# 4.

“What is this.” May blinked at the fucking _ sports car _ parked outside their apartment building, looking away from the window to gape at Peter, who was also gaping at the car outside. “Peter, what the _ hell _is this?”

“I-I-I,” He stammered, running his hand through his hair. “I think. That’s Mr. Stark.”

“Stark.” May echoed, as Peter paced around the living room, looking panicked. He made a three-quarter turn before darting into his room, and May’s shoulders slumped as she looked down at the car again, and sure enough, Tony _ fucking _ Stark stepped out of the car, looking cool as ever in likely $500 blue tint sunglasses. He was mercifully left alone by the conspicuously empty street passers-by, and May was sure that two or three blocks down from either side of their road, traffic would be held up and pedestrians would be told to go the other way. _ Figures. _

She shook her head, turning to look at where Peter went. “What could he want from you? It’s your birthday, can’t he—_Peter._” 

Peter stepped out of his bedroom in his Spider-Man suit, in the middle of fiddling with his mask, and he came to a stop, looking at her pleadingly. 

“May.” He sighed.

“It’s your _ birthday._” She wasn’t _ whining, _ but she sure felt that way, hurrying to Peter’s side, gently squeezing his wrist. “He can’t. This was supposed to be for _ us._”

“May, I’m sorry.” Peter sighed, leaning up to hug her, kissing her cheek. “Superhero work. I—I can’t just ignore people who need my help.”

She hugged him back tightly, her hand balling into a fist behind his back, and she was almost unwilling to let him go when he made a move to pull away. He looked down at her with apologetic eyes, and she cupped his cheek in her hand. 

God, Peter’s heart of gold was beautiful to see sometimes, but it also broke May’s heart when it could. 

“Just be safe.” She said weakly, and Peter gave her a reassuring smile, squeezing her hand on his cheek.

“Am I, uh, interrupting something?” Peter jerked away from May as the woman rolled her eyes, burying her face in her hand as the teen turned around to look at Tony, trying not to grin too wide at the sight of his idol. 

“How’d you get in here.” May said flatly, but she couldn’t help but smile slightly at how _ happy _ Peter looked. Peter _ loved _ Tony, has idolised the man since the beginning, and May knew Tony loved Peter just as much, it was clear. The little package he left Peter after his homecoming, the little smile he wore as he apologised to May for his poor treatment of Peter and his feelings. May knew Tony was trying his best, trying to become a better man for Peter, a better man for the boy to look up to, and she hated to admit it—

In some way, she and Tony were in the same boat. Neither of them knew how to take care of a child’s heart, but Peter’s love made everything worth it. Peter’s love—now that the rest of New York shared with them, as its friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man. 

“Pete gave me a key.” Tony said, and Peter’s cheeks turned pink when the man held up a little keyring with a Captain America shield keychain. The teen snatched it out of Tony’s hand with a web rope, stuffing the keyring into his suit’s pocket, and the man laughed into his fist. May looked at Peter incredulously as the teen began to stutter out apologies, when the man shook his head. “Just kidding. He accidentally left his house keys yesterday so I gave ‘em back.” He explained, and held his hands together in front of him. “So, uh. Why’re you suited up there, kid?”

“You…” Peter pointed at his car outside. “Aren’t you here for an Avengers thing?” 

“No.” Tony crossed his arms, but he was smiling. He cocked his head at Peter, and jerked his head at the teen’s room. “It’s your birthday, isn’t it? We’re gonna go out and eat.” 

“Wh—” May began to protest, when Tony turned to look at her. 

“You too, May.” He said, “Can’t leave you out, too.” Tony gave her a wink, and checked his watch. “We’ve got some time before the reservation, so we don’t have to rush. You might wanna change into something a little more on the fancy side.” He looked at Peter, and gestured at his suit. “And less… superhero-y.”

Peter flushed, and he darted back into his bedroom. May looked at Tony exasperatedly, and he gave her a charming little grin. 

“Thought I owed the kid one, after missing the 15th.” He said, “And I think I owe you one, too, for every single year before that.”

May’s expression softened on him, and Tony shrugged easily, fighting a bashful little grin on his face. 

“You raised him right, May. He’s a good kid.” Tony admitted, stuffing his hands into his pockets. “Makes me wonder if I’ll manage that, too.”

“You will.” She said, and he blinked at her. May shook her head fondly, and turned to leave. “If _ I _could manage it, Stark, so can you.” 

She strode into her room to get dressed, too, and Tony watched her leave, a little smile crossing his face. He scoffed in embarrassment, and shook his head. 

“Gee, thanks.” He murmured behind his hand, and settled down on the couch to wait.

* * *

May tried not to gape—Peter was already doing enough of that for the both of them—as Tony led their little group into a glittering, beautiful restaurant. May thought she was overdressed in one of her old dresses she’d dug up from the back of her cabinets, but right now, she fit right in. It had been an old little thing, emerald green and sleeveless, with a plunging neckline and a draped skirt that Ben had gotten for her on their anniversary. Honestly, she was surprised it still fit her, and it made something warm and fond settle in her heart when she saw Peter only mildly swimming in Ben’s old suit jacket and trousers, wearing a Spider-Man red necktie around his neck. 

May tutted gently as she fixed a stray curl flying away from Peter’s face, giggling at his pout of protest, but the both of them fell quiet when they turned to see Tony smiling at them fondly. Aunt and Nephew shared twin blushes, but the man simply shrugged, and gestured at the maître d' to lead them to their table. The three of them settled down, and Tony slid a little box over to Peter as the teen sat down next to him after helping May into her seat. 

“That’s for you.” He said, and Peter looked at him with a raised eyebrow, before opening the box. His eyes widened, and May leaned over to his side to realise that Peter had received a watch. She squinted at the name—she didn’t even know how to pronounce that—and then looked at Peter, who lifted it out of the box, wide-eyed. “Fancy watch for fancy events. You might not want to bring that along when you do your patrols.” 

“W-whoa, Mr. Stark, it’s really pretty.” Peter breathed. Tony shrugged easily, and looked at May with a little smile on his face.

“Thought you could use one.” He said, “When I was your age I had a fancy watch I rarely used, too.” May smiled at him slightly, and Peter put the watch on, his eyes glimmering with wonder. 

“Whoa…” He looked it over, and gently cupped his hand over it. “I promise I’ll take care of it!”

“You better.” May nodded, crossing her arms, and Peter laughed sheepishly. “Little Mister Shattered-My-Phone-Screen-Again-This-Week!”

Tony laughed into his glass of water, and May’s grin widened as Peter laughed sheepishly, running his hand through his hair. 

“I promise, I promise.” Peter said, and their food arrived. The three of them settled into friendly chat, May listening to Tony and Peter recount to her the work they do in Stark Industries, working on Peter’s suit and other little gadgets he used out on the streets when he was out doing his patrols. By the time the third course rolled around, Peter excused himself from their table to use the bathroom, leaving Tony and May alone together.

Tony took a bite of an olive he spiked with his fork, and gestured at May. 

“You wanna tell me something?” He asked, and she blinked at him, putting down her own fork as he settled back in his seat with a contented sigh. Tony gave her a little smile, shrugging. “You look like you want to talk about something. Now’s the perfect time.”

May frowned slightly, but she nodded, taking a sip of her wine before she took a deep breath.

“Was it you?” She asked, and Tony cocked his head at her. “The spider bite. Was that you?”

Tony blinked at her for a moment, and the ball finally dropped. He shook his head with a sigh, and started poking his food around with his fork. 

“No.” He replied, “I don’t know where the spider came from, only Peter knows that.”

May deflated against her seat, and Tony reached out to pat her hand. 

“He came up with the whole superhero thing on his own. He said something that really stuck with me when we first met, y’know.” May looked at him with a crestfallen expression, but he continued. “He said… when you could do the things he could, if you could help, but didn’t, and then the bad things happened…” he shook his head fondly. “He said that would be on you.”

Tony and May looked at each other, and he gave her hand a squeeze. 

“You raised a good kid, May. He’s… already way better than I ever was.”

She laughed softly, shaking her head as she looked away from him, pulling her hand away to lace her fingers together. 

“Y’know, sometimes I wish he wasn’t that kind.” She said. “Sometimes… I wish Peter was just a little bit more selfish, even when he was a kid. He’s always thinking about other people, never about himself… I just.” May’s expression tightened, and she sighed. “I wish he could think about himself more, y’know?”

“You know… I think I can see why he doesn’t.” Tony said, and she looked at him confusedly. “Because there’s already someone thinking about him.” He gestured at her, and she blinked. 

“You just… pointed at all of me.” She said, and Tony laughed softly, as if thinking of a little inside joke May wasn’t privy to. 

“You’re a good aunt. Peter loves you a lot, and it’s obvious that he’s being self-reliant for your sake. Because you already did so much for him.” He said. “I mean, I _ hurt _the kid, when I took away his Internship like an asshole—”

“He kinda needed it,” May mumbled. 

“Yes, he kinda needed it, but who was there to help him out after that? You.” Tony pointed at her. “You’ve done so much more than I have for the kid. And I want nothing more than to do the same.”

She looked at him as Tony laced his fingers together under his chin to look at her. 

“I promise, May. I’m not here to try and replace his uncle in his heart. That’s not my thing.” He explained. “I just… wanna be there for him too. Just like you have, all these years.”

May finally smiled at him, and his smile widened. 

“Is he an Avenger?” She asked. 

“Not if I can help it.” Tony replied. “The things we’ve been dealing with… I can’t imagine letting a kid like him see all that while he’s so young.” He shook his head. “I don’t want another 2012 Chitauri for him in _ my _point of view.”

“Avenger-level threats _ are _dangerous.” May agreed. “But you know Peter’s going to insist anyway.”

“Yeah.” Tony laughed fondly, and May chuckled along with him. “But I’ll be prepared for when the time comes.”

“That’s… that’s reasonable.” May nodded. “If anything, I _ know _I can’t be there for him for this superhero stuff. That’s on you.”

Tony gave her a little grin. “Thank you.”

May huffed fondly. “Just… promise me you’ll keep him safe? Bring him back home to me in one piece.” She looked at the empty box on Peter’s side of the table, and laughed softly. “I promised him I’ll always be there for him, and it’s always been just us when his birthday rolls around.”

“Well, I’d like to be part of that too.” Tony confessed, and May’s smile widened, he shrugged as casually as he could, looking almost bashful, and May had to admit—maybe Tony Stark really did have a heart, after all. 

“Welcome to the family, then.” May said, and Tony beamed at her. 

“Nice to be part of the team.”

* * *

Peter yanked his Spider-Man mask off, perched on top of a closed toilet seat, and fought back the tears welling up in his eyes. He laughed softly, shaking his head fondly as Dronie flitted around his head, and he lifted his finger to let the little robot spider perch on it. 

“I think… we’re gonna be fine, Dronie.” He said. “Karen, could you save that to my files?”

“_Saving recorded audio._” Karen chirped. “_Audio capture is in your private Stark Industries server._”

“Thanks, Karen.” Peter nodded, stuffing his mask back into his coat, and looked at his watch fondly. “We’re gonna be okay.” He straightened up, and made a move to walk out of the bathroom stall—

** _Hold still. _ **

Peter paused, feeling his spine tingle, and he climbed up the door to get onto the ceiling to look outside beyond the stall. His eyes widened when he found two men in suits handing each other suitcases, and one of them opened his suitcase to reveal stacks upon stacks of cash. Peter’s eyes widened. 

“Is it in here?” The other man asked, and his associate nodded. He shot him a dirty look, and opened the other briefcase anyway, and Peter gaped at the sight of bundles of drugs in the other. The two men jolted, whirling around as they pulled out their guns. “Who’s there?”

Peter shot back into the stall, grinning to himself as he pulled his mask back on. 

“Happy birthday to Spider-Man too, I guess.” He muttered, engaging his webshooters. He didn’t have the rest of his suit with him, but maybe people wouldn’t fault Spider-Man if he got a bit too fancy in a fancy restaurant, too. 

He opened the stall with a faux casualness, leaning on the doorway with a roll of his shoulders, and cleared his throat. 

“Hey, fellas!” He cheerfully greeted. “That’s an awfully fancy UTI antibiotic case.”

“Spider-Man!” One of them snarled, while Karen took their photos and sent them to Tony’s phone. 

“Thaaaat’s me!” Peter chirped, and the gunshots began. 

* * *

“By the way, how much _ is _ that watch you got him?” May asked, and Tony gave her a cheeky grin. He typed something on his phone and showed it to her, and her eyes boggled wide in shock. “_Tony! _ That’s—that’s—oh my _ god—_”

Suddenly the sound of gunshots broke through the air, and Tony shot to his feet, immediately engaging his gauntlet around his hand as he stood protectively between May and the source of it—the men’s bathrooms. 

May looked witheringly at the bathrooms. “Peter’s sure taking a while…” She said weakly, and Tony laughed. 

“Looks like it’s a birthday celebration for Spider-Man too.” He said. “EDITH.”

“_Yes, Tony?_”

“Get a warrant moving for a Ritchie Bayer and… Andrew whatshisface.”

“_Filing warrant for Ritchie Bayer and Andrew Wazowski to Captain Yuriko Watanabe._”

“What’s going on?” May asked, getting up from her seat, but Tony held his hand out at her to hold her back. 

“Spider-Man, drugs bust.” He said, with a proud little grin on his face, and May’s eyes widened at him. “I think… this’ll be a snap.”

“Wh—but what about—”

“He’ll come home in one piece, promise.” Tony tapped at his gauntlet, and the armour grew up his arm. “He’s got Iron Man on his ass, he’ll be fine. I’ll send Happy to come pick you up and take you home.”

May laughed incredulously, running her hand through her hair before shaking her head. 

“Oh, fine.” She sighed, “Bring him home, Tony.”

“Will do.”

And after that, time and time again, Tony brought Peter home himself. Sometimes the boy was on top of the world, sometimes he was worse for wear, sometimes he was fast asleep, bundled up warmly in Tony’s arms while the man carried him into the Parker apartment with the help of his gauntlets. He never failed to bring Peter back to May.

Until a year or so later, landing for the first time on Earth without so much as a speck of dust that he could call Peter’s remains. He was almost relieved to find out that May was gone, too. At least he couldn’t fail to keep his promise, already at his wit’s end as he blew up on Steve when he knew he really shouldn’t have. 

Five years later, Peter would come home, and this time Tony couldn’t be there with him.

That was probably what hurt the most, May thought. To remember and realise they were all alone again, but she knew they’d make it. 

They’d mourn, but Parkers and Starks were made of iron. Pepper and Morgan would live on. May and Peter would live on. 

They were going to be okay. Someday. 

# +1.

Frank Castle was no stranger to taking care of children—he had his own when they were still alive, and then he had Amy, later on. Now she’d moved away to go to college, and he was alone—at least, for a while, until a fateful phone call sent a series of events in motion. 

He’d been watching the kid for some time now—armed with a specific gun that Stark himself handed him. While Frank had been rather fond of his usual guns, not quite too into the whole fancy technological stuff that Stark Industries was making up until Iron Man showed up, the one Tony Stark gave him was one-of-a-kind.

According to the man, voice tinny and exhausted through the speaker of his phone while Frank turned the gun over this way and that in his hands, it was stolen technology from a company called Sable International. It had been invented for the sole purpose of capturing and subduing enhanced individuals, and when Frank had fired a test round in the basement he broke into to find it, he found that it shot a pair of crackling electrical-red ropes that latched onto the nearest object it could wrap around.

It was easy to figure out how the rest went. It helped that the gun itself had been modified to look like a storage tube with the Stark Industries logo on it. He carried it around with him wrapped in a yoga mat in its bag, following Spider-Man around the city waiting for the inevitable moment he was needed to do the one thing Tony Stark hired him to do.

It was weird how it happened, really. 

The first time Stark contacted him he’d threatened to blow the man up for finding him. It had been during those five nebulous years where half the world disappeared off the face of the earth—he’d been looking for someone else, too, only to find out his informant had turned into dust when he _ did _ find her. Stark had rang him up on his burner phone, citing some advanced security tech as the means to how he found the Punisher (learning about him was a completely different story that Stark didn’t divulge outside of the name of one man—Nick Fury. Frank didn’t know who the fuck that asshole was). After accepting the job offer, Frank had simply waited for the call to come.

It did come that one summer after the Avengers supposedly saved the whole world, and Frank had received a teary phone call from Amy telling him she was alright, that she was back. After he hung up from a long, emotional chat with her, a message came through right after, telling him that there had been a security breach in the Stark security network, and that he should get ready for anything. 

Sighing exasperatedly, he made his way to Manhattan, and camped out at Madison Square Garden in time for the big reveal.

“_Spider-Man’s name is Peter Parker!_” said the weirdo in the weird costume on the huge TV, and Frank finally understood why Stark needed him.

And why Parker needed him, and this was Frank’s life now, watching the kid sit at the window of his little apartment, staring out at the skyline of Manhattan far away from them. He’d deprived the kid of his phone and other means for them to be found—after Peter got over the initial shock of being _ literally captured, _ he’d filled Frank in on the details of that man who exposed him to the entirety of Manhattan. 

Quentin Beck, weirdo theatre kid who destroyed half of London a while back. Damn. 

Frank whistled lowly at the thought of it, catching Peter’s attention. 

“Mr. Castle?” He asked, and Frank shook his head. 

“Just thinking.” Frank replied, and Peter fell quiet, looking down at his hands. “I know kids like you are probably going crazy without anything to do, but we have to wait for this Fury guy to come pick you up so things don’t get any worse than they already are.”

“I know.” Peter sighed, and looked back at Frank. “What day is it today?”

Frank raised an eyebrow at him, and looked at his watch. “August 9. Almost 10 in about three hours. Why?”

“Oh.” Peter deflated, and Frank cocked his head. “It’s… it’s my birthday, sir.” He cleared his throat. “On the 10th, I mean.”

“Oh.” Frank blinked, and tried not to look embarrassed as Peter hugged his knees close to himself. “Okay.”

He got up, and Peter looked up at him owlishly, watching him leave. The teen sighed into his knees, and fiddled with the sheets he sat on. 

“May…” He murmured. “I miss you.”

* * *

Peter hadn’t realised he’d fallen asleep until he smelled eggs, bacon and toast in the air. He sat up sleepily, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes as a blanket that hadn’t been there before slid off his shoulders. He smiled slightly, getting up and out of bed to fold the blanket neatly, setting it down at the foot of the bed. 

For all the gruff silence Frank answered him with, the man could be gentle if he wanted to be. Even though they had first met in a rather messy way—what with all that stun ropes and kidnapping, even if it _ was _for his sake in the long run—Frank had let him cry on his shoulder as he cried his eyes out for Tony after Frank had explained to him his side of his story. 

Though Frank took away his phone, all the other means he could message at least Ned, MJ and May that he was alright, Peter knew why. Peter knew that the video Beck released was evidence the man was alive, Jameson’s sketchy reporting notwithstanding, and that it was likely that the man still had EDITH, or at least some copy of her. 

Frank was protecting him because Tony asked him to, but Peter liked to think the man didn’t _ need _to be gentle about it. Frank didn’t need to give in when Peter begged him to move Peter from a windowless room to his windowed one. He didn’t need to make sure that Peter still had access to things that could stimulate his mind, like books and other little puzzles to tinker with. Hell, Frank had let him keep Dronie around as company when he was out doing… whatever it was he was doing, Peter hadn’t asked yet, and while Frank liked to pretend that he wasn’t doing it for Peter’s sake, Peter knew that a puppy was on its way to their little home together. 

He’d seen the adoption papers. A cute little Staffordshire Bull Terrier puppy was on her way home, and Peter knew that if he just asked, Frank would let him name her. 

He missed Karen a whole lot, but he wouldn’t call her Karen. Maybe Tessa? 

Peter stepped out of his room to find Frank at the kitchen, pouring himself a mug of coffee as breakfast lay ready on the table—eggs, bacon and toast, and Peter gave the man a sleepy little smile as he settled down to eat. 

“Thanks.” He said sheepishly, and Frank shrugged. Peter tucked into his meal anyway, humming softly, and he looked up when Frank stood across him with a sigh. “What’s up, Mr. Castle?” Peter asked, and Frank gave him a dubious look. The teen flushed slightly, but he shook his head exasperatedly, setting his mug down on the table. 

“Got you something.” He said, and Peter blinked at him as he made his way past the dining table to an inconspicuous box on the side of the room. Peter’s eyes widened even more when he realised that the box had holes in it, and his heart shot to his throat when Frank lifted a tubby grey puppy from the box, a little scrap of newspaper still stuck to her little paw as she snoozed something fierce in his gentle grip. Peter hurried to his feet, hurrying over to Frank’s side to take the little Staffie from his hands, bundling her up in his arms as he tried not to cry. 

“Stark said it’s about time you handled something that isn’t mechanical or as dangerous as saving a whole city.” Frank said with nothing short of amusement in his tone as Peter ignored him to coo over the little dog in his arms. “Uh. Happy 17th, I guess.” 

“Mr. Castle, I…” Peter sniffled, and the man huffed fondly as the puppy finally woke up to lick at Peter’s face, whining when he didn’t kiss her back. “_Oh._” Peter finally _ did _start crying, holding the puppy close to his face to kiss her tummy, sinking to the ground as his shoulders began to shake. Frank shook his head, kneeling down to rub Peter’s back as he cried into the confused puppy’s soft fur. “I’m… I’m sorry I’m so unstable.”

“I’ve cooped you up in a room for almost a month now, kid, I’m surprised you aren’t already insane.” Frank said, and Peter laughed shakily, looking up from the puppy to smile up at the man past his tears. Frank couldn’t quite meet Peter’s positively _ adoring _ gaze at him, and looked away in embarrassment. He cleared his throat. “It’s okay.” He said quietly, and Peter fell quiet, sniffling softly as Frank sighed, resting his hand on Peter’s head in a warm, comforting hold. “You’re just a kid. You don’t deserve all this, and this Fury guy is taking too _ damn _ long to show up.”

“Maybe the other Avengers are busy.” Peter mumbled. “Maybe I’m… not important enough.”

“Some weirdo exposed your private information to the _ world, _ how is that not important?” Frank deadpanned, and Peter deflated. “And now you can’t even see your family.” The man paused, taking a moment to collect himself, and he shook his head. “On your _ birthday, _of all days.”

“I…” Peter took a shuddering breath. “My aunt. I wanna see her.”

Frank looked at him incredulously, and Peter met his gaze, brown eyes wide and pleading. 

“Please.” He begged softly, “Every year, she’s always been there—she promised.” 

“She can’t keep it this year, kid, I’m sorry.” Frank replied, but Peter shook his head.

“No, she wouldn’t because we won’t let her!” He shot back. “Please, Mr. Castle, just this once, please, let me see her!”

“Kid, you _ can’t!_” Frank didn’t mean to raise his voice at Peter, but the damage had already been done. Peter fell quiet, looking at him with teary eyes, and the puppy in his arms began to whimper, already attuned to his emotions as she squirmed in his arms. Frank ran his hand down his face, sighing exasperatedly. 

“It’s… too risky.” He said. “The moment you get on the grid, you _ know _ that Beck guy will find you. What then?” He crossed his arms, and Peter looked down at the puppy in his arms. 

“May is worth the risk.” Peter replied quietly. “And… if you won’t let me, I… I’ll go out there and find her myself.” 

Frank looked at Peter witheringly, but the boy met his gaze determinedly. 

“I _ can _ do that, you know. I have superpowers, I’ll break out of this house myself, a-and I’ll bring Tessa with me. We’re gonna see May for my birthday, and I don’t care if you’re going to have to shoot me with a stun rope and drag me back here again.” He stood up straight, holding the puppy close to his chest as he looked down at Frank. “May is all I have, Mr. Castle. I’ve been far away from her for too long, and—and…” His eyes stung with emotion. “It’s been like this ever since. She’s _ always _ with me on my birthdays, no matter what. So—so I… I…”

Frank sighed, shaking his head as he got up, too, pulling Peter close to hug him one-armed, and the teen jolted, hugging Tessa protectively to himself in reflex until he realised what Frank did. 

“Fine, _ fine. _ Jesus.” The man huffed. “But we’re doing it _ my _ way. The _ safe _way.”

“As long as I get to talk to her.” Peter sniffled. Frank pulled away from him to gently tap his chin, and the teen laughed weakly. Tessa leaned up to lick at his chin again, and Frank finally smiled at the sight of the two of them. 

“So, Tessa, huh. Nice name.”

“I… saw the adoption papers.” Peter admitted, and Frank huffed a little laugh behind his fist. “I came prepared, basically.”

“Yeah, sounds about right.” Frank nodded. “It’s way better than what I had in mind for her, anyway.”

Peter perked up at that, and he cocked his head at the older man. “What did you want to name her?”

Much to Peter’s surprise, Frank looked almost _ sheepish, _ and the teen’s smile widened in realisation. The man looked away from him, clearing his throat.

“Bam Bam.” 

Peter blinked at the man as he turned away from him completely, coughing delicately, before he burst out laughing, holding Tessa close to himself as the puppy’s tail wagged happily. Frank turned to look at Peter, and much to the teen’s delight, began laughing. 

Their laughter filled the lonely little apartment, until they calmed down, Frank patting Peter’s shoulder heavily. 

“Get dressed. In something you don’t normally wear. We head out in an hour.”

* * *

It had been almost a month since Peter disappeared. MJ told her how it happened as she saw it—they were at Madison Square Garden when the video came out, and Beck’s voice reverberated in May’s head like a terrible curse over and over again whenever she thought of that place. 

“_Spider-Man’s name is Peter Parker!_” He shouted to a crowd of thousands, and the video was no doubt circulating all over the globe, even until now. The whole world was shocked into stunned silence at the realisation that Spider-Man, the Avenger slated to be the next Iron Man, was a 16-year-old nobody from Queens. 

Well, 17. Peter turned 17 today, and for the first time in her life, May couldn’t be there to celebrate his birthday with him. 

After the video was over, MJ told her that a pair of stun-ropes, crackling with red energy not too dissimilar to how Scarlet Witch’s hands would glow, had flown right up to Peter, wrapping around his torso and electrocuting him as he got thrown along their trajectory. He disappeared into an alleyway after that, and while MJ tried to chase after her boyfriend, she was too late, skidding to a halt to see an empty road filled with nothing but the usual New York rats, and the lingering scent of scorched tires. 

Today, May sat alone in her little apartment, gingerly staring at the case that held Peter’s Iron Spider suit, watching the way little nanobots flew around in the vague shape of his iconic look. 

She missed him. Now that Tony was gone, there was no one to bring him home to her. No one to take care of Peter out there while he fought some crazy bastards like Quentin Beck—Mysterio, what a _ stupid _ name—or even just regular old muggers. May knew Peter was strong—he was strong in his own right, he’d fought in a literal _ war _before, but she still couldn’t help but worry. Still couldn’t stop thinking about him.

Now, alone in her apartment with a little carton of that Korean banana milk Peter liked so much in her lap, she tried not to cry as she thought about where he could be. He must have been so frightened—and now, he’d been _ kidnapped, _ taken away somewhere unfamiliar, possibly hundreds of miles away from her. Happy had been giving her updates from the Stark Security Network—he’d already tried getting through to Nick Fury, but the man was nowhere to be found. The other Avengers, she didn’t even know who they were. Happy didn’t have their contacts, so it would take some time to get in touch with any of them, if they answered at all. 

Heroes were busy all the time, she reckoned. Somewhere out there, there was a danger much more urgent than looking for a superpowered 17-year-old who’d gone missing for almost a month now. 

Besides, it didn’t matter if it was Peter’s birthday today. If people needed help, heroes gave it. 

And that’s exactly what May thought was incredibly _ unfair. _

If it was the hero’s turn to need help, who would be there for him?

She buried her face in her hands, biting back a sob as she thought of her nephew. 

“Oh, Peter.” She sighed shakily. “I miss you so much.”

Much to her surprise, her phone rang, and she quickly got up to answer it. 

“Hello?” She asked, frowning at the unfamiliar number. “Who’s this?”

“_Hey, May._” Greeted a familiar voice, and May’s eyes watered as she clutched at the phone. “_I—I’ve missed you._”

“Peter.” May breathed, and finally her tears fell as she collapsed on Peter’s bed in relief. “Oh, _ Peter. _I’m so—oh, it’s so good to hear from you again.”

“_I know. I missed you so much, May._” Peter sounded like he was on the verge of tears, too. “_I’m sorry I just disappeared, I had no choice._”

“Where are you? Happy and I are gonna come find you and bring you home.” She said, “Ned and MJ are so worried for you, I’m bringing you home _ right now._”

“_I… can’t._” Peter said, and May froze in her place, blinking at the space in front of her in shock. “_I’m sorry. Mr. Beck leaked my information to the world, and now I’m in hiding with someone Mr. Stark trusted to find me and keep me safe._” He explained. “_Actually, I’m not really supposed to call you like this, but I wanted to. I _ had _ to. It’s my birthday, and I couldn’t go through it without you in my life, at least for today._”

“Oh, Peter.” May sighed, covering her mouth with her hand as she sobbed. “Baby, I love you. I love you so much. I’m so sorry this happened to you.”

“_I’m sorry this happened to us._” Peter said quietly, and the both of them fell silent. May could hear the sound of a car horn honking in the background of Peter’s side of the call, and she smiled slightly. 

“Are you still in New York?” She asked.

“_I can’t tell you that, I’m sorry._” He said, and she nodded in defeat. “_Mr. Castle is taking good care of me, though. I’ve missed a few school days now, but I guess that’s a given, considering everyone knows who I am._”

“Yeah.” May laughed shakily. “This Mr. Castle guy—is he at least giving you access to some education?”

“_Yeah! He’s been generous with the books and the puzzles, stuff to tinker with, it’s nice. He got me a puppy today._”

“A _puppy__? _” May blinked incredulously. 

“_Mhm. Mr. Stark apparently left that instruction for him too. She’s beautiful, May. Like a stocky little pitbull. She’s grey, and sleeps all the time._” The sheer joy in Peter’s voice made May’s heart _ sing, _ and she sighed happily as he continued to talk. “_I named her Tessa, but Mr. Castle wanted to name her Bam Bam._”

“Tessa is better.” May nodded. “Just like Ned’s mom.”

“_Yeah, she’s round and soft like her too._” Peter agreed. “_He did say Tessa was a better name than Bam Bam, though._”

May laughed, shaking her head fondly. “Wow. That’s… that’s an amazing gift. Leave it to Tony to blow your birthday gift out of the water.”

“_Well… yours is still better._” He said, and May blinked. 

“Peter, I haven’t… given you anything.”

“_No, but I heard your voice again after so long._” He said. “_We’ve kept our promise again for this year, and for that I am extremely grateful._”

May nodded, her lips quivering as she smiled past the tears that were starting to roll down her cheeks again. 

“Yeah, me too. I’m so glad you’re safe.”

“_Yeah, I—huh?_” Peter paused, and May could hear him talking to someone away from the phone receiver. Her heart sank at the thought of it—Peter was out there in the world all alone again, but she was glad he’d made a friend of whoever this Castle man was. “_May? Sorry, we don’t have much time. I think we've been spotted._”

The lump in May’s throat was painful when she swallowed past it in fear. 

“Be careful, Peter.”

“_We will. When this is all over, I’ll introduce you to Mr. Castle. He’s really nice._” Peter promised. “_And—and you’ll get to meet Tessa, too, and we can go shopping for accessories for her together._”

“That sounds nice.” May smiled. “I love you, Peter. Happy birthday.”

“_Thanks, May. I love you too. I love you so, so mu—_”

The call got cut, and May dropped herself into Peter’s bed with a shaky, relieved sigh.

Peter was okay. He was alive, and in good hands. That was enough, for now. 

She buried her face into his pillows, and began to sob anew.

* * *

Peter quickly shoved the throwaway phone into Frank’s hands, and the man taped it to the underside of the seat on the bus they rode on. The call was still ongoing, the phone still sending out a signal to May’s number, but on May’s side it was already cut. Frank ushered Peter out of their seat as he pressed the button for the bus to stop, and it came to a stop at a nearby curb. The two of them hurried off the bus, and Peter pulled Tessa out of his oversized coat, smiling at the sleeping little puppy. 

“We should get out of here soon.” Frank said, and looked down at Peter and Tessa. The teen looked back up at him, and the man huffed fondly. “Okay, fine. _ After _we get a collar for the little princess.” He jerked his head away from the main street. “C’mon, Bradley. I know a place.”

“Coming, dad.” Peter replied easily, ducking under Frank’s arm to let the man lead him along by a comfortable arm around his shoulders. “Thanks for letting me call her, Mr. Castle.” He murmured, and Frank shrugged. 

“I know what it’s like to be far away from your family.” He replied quietly, ducking down as if to whisper something to Peter, and the boy smiled up at him sweetly. “Happy birthday, kid.”

“Thanks.” Peter sighed, and Tessa woke up to lick his face. He giggled softly, and kissed her forehead. “Someday, when this all blows over, we should go hang out properly.”

“I don’t _ do _hangouts, kid.” Frank snorted.

“You _ will, _ after _ I’m _done with you.” Peter grinned, and the man laughed, ruffling Peter’s hair. The teen laughed brightly, and the two of them ducked into an alleyway. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> there's actually a lot of spiderman ps4 easter eggs i threw in here. let's see if you can find em


	2. and the other time she wasn't

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The _other_ person who wanted to give Peter a present.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> > i really just can't fucking resist putting creep!beck into this fic huh. even this good wholesome birthday fic for peter huh. i've really sunk this low huh
>> 
>> — 🔮 bukkun, MSc 🕷 (@trickscd) [August 12, 2019](https://twitter.com/trickscd/status/1160826437764440064?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)
> 
> jesus.

“Weird.” Beck frowned, twirling a pencil between his fingers as he sat cross-legged on an armchair, watching data fly by his eyes in the glass of his helmet. “Signal is moving again.”

“That’s a _ long _ conversation.” Victoria drawled from beside him, but Beck’s frown deepened. “I’m sure if we wait long enough, that car’s gonna stop somewhere and we’ll know where Peter is.”

“Wait.” Beck waved his hand at her, and tapped at a little screen on his wrist. “EDITH?”

“_Yes, Quentin?_”

“Plot the path of that car, I wanna see where they’re headed.”

“_Displaying route map._” 

A hologram appeared before Beck, and the man frowned down at the glowing green path EDITH marked out for him. Slowly it grew into a wide circuit, and his eyes widened.

“_Fuck,_” He swore, “He was on a bus.”

“A bus?” Victoria echoed. “But that’s… isn’t that dangerous? It’d be much easier to get spotted on the bus.” 

“Maybe that’s exactly why he went on it.” Beck shook his head, grumbling as he waved his hand to dismiss the hologram in front of him. He gingerly held his midsection, where the bullet wound he got from London was still healing. “Another dead end. _ God damn it._”

“Why are you so pressed to find him _ today?_” William asked from where he was sitting at the kitchen counter, sipping at his mug of coffee while he waited for his code to finish doing its bug sweep. “Aren’t you glad he’s out of your hair for now?”

“It’s his birthday today.” Beck said, and Victoria and William shared confused looks. Their employer shook his head, getting up shakily, and Victoria hurried to his side. Beck shook his head, giving her a sweet smile as he straightened up by himself. “I’m gonna head back to my room.”

“Right.” Victoria nodded dubiously, and Beck hobbled back to his room, dropping himself down on his bed with a wince as he felt his wound sting from his movement. Gingerly he tucked himself into bed, sitting up to look into the darkness of the room around him, and sighed deeply. 

“I had a present for him and everything…” He murmured, and turned to look at the gun propped up in the corner of the room. It was an inconspicuous, lovely little thing—it didn’t look like a gun, just a storage tube where one could put blueprints or whatnot inside. He could carry it around no problem, and no one would bat an eyelid at it, especially when it bore the brand of Stark Industries on it. 

He knew it fired ropes that could subdue any super, from Captain America to even Vision, its electronic pulses could go through Black Panther’s armour like it was made of spandex, and the product had boasted of non-lethal immobilisation until the charge ran out. It could disable little pieces of technology too, like annoying little gadgets that could ruin a simple birthday surprise. 

It was odd, really, and it felt like Stark Industries had developed it for a particular enhanced super in mind. 

Beck shook his head, settling down into bed to try and sleep, and maybe this time, Peter Parker’s sweet little face won’t haunt his dreams.

He snorted as he buried his face into the pillow. 

“Yeah, right.” He muttered. “Happy birthday, kid. Enjoy your freedom while it lasts…”

**Author's Note:**

> > BANGS POTS AND PANS  
  
PLEASE WATCH PILGRIMAGE (2017)* IT’S A PRETTY GOOD FILM  
  
*cw: explicit blood, gore, violence, onscreen torture and death, religious guilt and imagery, the crusades [pic.twitter.com/2UJjQNDKVK](https://t.co/2UJjQNDKVK)
>> 
>> — 🔮 bukkun, MSc 🕷 (@trickscd) [June 6, 2019](https://twitter.com/trickscd/status/1136519107241635843?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)
> 
> please watch pilgrimage (2017)


End file.
